Statue of Roman nymph may have been defaced with blue crayon by children, National Trust admits

Blue scribbles on a 230-year-old statue at a National Trust property may have been the work of children who were given a pack of crayons at the site, officials have admitted.

The organisation was left ‘dismayed’ earlier this month after the historic sculpture of the Roman nymph Sabrina and a memorial for landscape architect Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown were defaced at Croome Court in Worcestershire.

The culprits appeared to try and draw a dress on the semi-naked statue of Sabrina and made blue markings on the face, while the Brown memorial was also vandalised.

The marks on the statue have since been removed, although the Brown memorial at the Neo-Palladian mansion is ongoing, the National Trust said.

Now the culprits behind the incident, which took place on April 8, are thought to be children as the trust admitted it hands out crayon packs to young visitors at the site.

The culprits appeared to have tried to draw a dress on the semi-naked statue on April 8

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The statue of the nymph Sabrina pictured before the vandalism (left) and after it was defaced with blue crayon (right) 

The defacing of the historic statue sparked outrage earlier this month, with the National Trust saying it was ‘dismayed’ and bemoaned that ‘the actions of a few mean that a beautiful historical statue and memorial cannot currently be enjoyed fully by visitors’.

A sign was placed in front of the sculpture after it was vandalised reading: ‘We are utterly shocked at the vandalism to Sabrina.’

Today the organisation said that while it does not know exactly how the incident happened or if the crayon used was one from its trail activity pack, it does give out the objects to children.

A National Trust spokesperson told MailOnline: ‘Like lots of other heritage organisations we regularly run events for families and we often issue pencils or crayons.

‘We have been able to remove the crayon from the Sabrina statue and we are in the process of cleaning the Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown Memorial. 

‘Disappointing as they are, incidents like this are very rare considering the millions of visitors who enjoy and respect the places in our care.’

The statue of the Roman Naiade, Sabrina, is carved from Coade stone – actually a ceramic made with a mix of clay, terracotta, silicates and glass – by sculptor John Bacon. It was likely made in either the mid 1780s or 1802.

It sits on the grounds of Croome Court, an 18th-century Neo-Palladian mansion with landscaped gardens, which were designed by Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown, and now operates as a tourist attraction leased to the National Trust.

The Naiade are water nymphs in mythology. Sabrina takes her name from the nymph spirit of the Severn River.

Blue lines were scribbled onto the historic statue of Roman nymph Sabrina, with the finger of blame potentially pointing towards children

The 230-year-old statue (pictured before the vandalism) is one of the main attractions of the gardens at Croome Court, which is run by the National Trust

The memorial to Lancelot Brown (pictured) is still being cleaned up by the National Trust after it was defaced

They also defaced a memorial (pictured) to landscape architect Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown

It marked the western boundary of the Croome estate in Worchester and is considered a scaled down ‘model’ of the Croome Lake.

The grotto the statue is located in was originally decorated with exotic shells, coral and gems and supplied with water from one of the branches of the culvert drainage network.

The water was directed to the grotto via pipes and flowed from the urn held under Sabrina’s right arm to the banks of the river below.

Brown was commissioned by George William Coventry, the sixth earl of Coventry, in 1751 to redesign the house and its parkland.

It was his first large-scale commission and saw the local village relocated and the Medieval church replaced with a new Gothic church overlooking the land.

Brown died in February 1783 whilst returning home from dining with the Earl at his London home and the memorial was subsequently erected.